


Sweet Dream or a Beautiful Nightmare

by hopingforaword



Category: Spring Awakening - Sheik/Sater
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bobby Maler he's the worst, Enemy-Identifying Marks, F/F, Hanschen And Thea Are Siblings, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Self-Doubt, Soulmate AU, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2018-08-09 02:28:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7783261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopingforaword/pseuds/hopingforaword
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tenth birthdays were always big days. It was then that the names would appear on your wrists. One was a mortal enemy, one was a soulmate, but telling the two apart was impossible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wrists

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "Beautiful Nightmare" by Beyonce because I couldn't come up with anything better
> 
> Idea came from a post on tumblr by cindymoon.tumblr.com and chekhovsgum.tumblr.com, so if either of you are reading this, THANKS!!!
> 
> Totally not writing this because I'm having a block on the third section of HAGW... haha....hahaha

Tenth birthdays were always big days. It was then that the names would appear on your wrists. One was a mortal enemy, one was a soulmate, but telling the two apart was impossible. It was customary to cover the wrists with bracelets or makeup or sleeves until people figured out which was which. Some people even got their enemy's names tattooed over.   
  


Ilse turned ten first, and she considered herself lucky because she could easily tell which was her enemy and which was her soulmate. Her father had been abusing her for as long as she could remember, and Wendla had always been there for her. Still, she slipped on the black cuffs decorated with purple embroidered flowers that her mother had bought her. The whole world didn't need to know everything all the time.

 

Hänschen turned ten next, two months later, and his was just as clear. Of course, he had laughed to himself, his father was his mortal enemy. But was bubbly, artistic Ernst, his  _ best friend _ Ernst, really his soulmate? He pushed the thought aside. After all, he was only ten. Such things could be dealt with later. He slipped on a sweater and remembered to ask his mom to buy him bracelets. 

 

Melchior's birthday was next and he stared at his wrists for so long he was almost late for school. Sure, some people only had one name and some people had the same name twice and some people had more than two names and some people had no names. But had anyone in recorded history ever had their own name on one of their wrists? Was he his own soulmate? His mother called him again, and he buttoned the wrists of his shirt before running downstairs.

 

Martha was scared for her birthday. She knew who would be her enemy, but would she even have a soulmate? Like Ilse and Hänschen, her father's name was no surprise, but Thea's was. A girl? In all her wildest dreams Martha had never imagined that her soulmate might be a girl. She shrugged the thoughts away as she covered the names with concealer.

 

Ernst completely forgot about his wrists until his mother reminded him when he came barreling down the stairs on his birthday. He looked, and there was no clarity for him. Two boys he was close friends with; one would be his enemy and one would be his soulmate. He knew Hänschen and Bobby had both already turned ten, so he could just ask them, but he felt like that somehow took the fun out of it. His little sister handed him two wide friendship bracelets, and he tied them on his wrists.

 

When Wendla looked at her right wrist on her birthday, she panicked. It was blank. Her other wrist had a name but her right one didn't. She was afraid she only had an enemy, but her and Ilse had been friends since they were little. Then again, Wendla read about a set of twins that had each other's names as enemies. She was quickly shaken from her wondering by everything her mother had planned for her birthday, including two beautiful flowery silk bracelets.

 

Moritz turned ten two days before Halloween, and he had not been practicing his special effects makeup he wouldn't have even noticed. His father and his best friend. In a life that was almost excruciatingly routine, neither of Moritz's wrists surprised him. He covered them with makeup until his dad yelled at him that that was a girl thing and bought him a pair of blue cuffs.

  
Thea turned ten last, more than a full year after everyone but Moritz. She didn't really care too much about any of it, but she was excited to be one of the big kids. One name she recognized. Martha Bessell, one of her brothers friends. The girl was quiet but sweet. The other name was similar but unknown. David Bessell. Was he Martha's father? Brother? Distant cousin? Which was her soulmate, and would the relation between her soulmate and her enemy create the enemy to begin with? She shrugged and slipped on the bracelets Hänschen had bought her.


	2. Pirate Queens

“Happy birthday!” Ilse squealed as she pounced on Wendla’s bed. “I’m so glad your mom let me sleep over, even if the guys couldn’t come over.”

“You know how my mom is,” Wendla said, sitting up and smiling at her best friend. “We could tell her they’re just the guys until we’re blue in the face, she still thinks someone would end up pregnant or dead.”

“She’s so paranoid,” Ilse said, flopping onto her back. “First of all, we’re fifteen. Second, who would we hook up with? Moritz? Gay. Ernst? Gay. Melchior? Asshole. Hänschen? Asshole and a slut.”

Wendla made a noise of discontent. “You know I don’t like that word.”

“It’s how he introduces himself to guys.”

“What do you think the point is?” Wendla asked, collapsing back onto her bed and staring at the ceiling.

“Of what?”

Wendla chewed her lip. “Putting yourself out there as much as Hänschen does if there’s only two people you could possibly be with?”

“Backups? Having fun? I don’t know.”

“Like wouldn’t it make more sense to try to track down the two people and figure it out?”

Ilse scratched absentmindedly at her left wrist, where her father’s name was printed in messy script that matched her own handwriting. “Maybe for some it’s obvious.”

“Maybe for some it’s not.”

Ilse smiled. “Well, I can help you out. Cm’ere.” She tackled Wendla, grabbing for her wrists, but Wendla turned out of the way. The two girls wrestled until Ilse managed to pin Wendla below her. “Let’s see what we have here.” She pulled Wendla’s beautiful flowery bracelet that so represented her own off of Wendla’s left hand. She looked down at her best friend’s wrist, and her look of triumph quickly changed to confusion.

“Don’t say it,” Wendla said, her eyes squeezed shut.

“You haven’t got a name on this hand. What about the other one?”

“Don’t make me, Ilse,” Wendla said in a tiny voice.

Ilse slipped the hand that was holding Wendla’s bare wrist down to hold her best friend’s hand. “I can help you figure it out. Besides, best friends shouldn’t have secrets.”

Wendla sighed, and turned her right wrist over. Ilse took the cuff off and smiled, before leaning in to kiss Wendla. 

It was like fireworks had erupted in Wendla’s head. She had never kissed someone before, and maybe it was because they were soulmates or maybe it was because Ilse was a very good kisser, but Wendla felt like she was flying. Ilse pulled back and took off her own bracelet to reveal Wendla’s name.

“How’d you know I wasn’t your enemy?”

Ilse scoffed. “I’d sooner believe you didn’t have an enemy than you didn’t have a soulmate.” She paused. “So are we girlfriends?”

“Yes. And as my girlfriend, I’d like you to wear one of my bracelets over your enemy’s name, and leave my name exposed.”

“Deal,” Ilse said, “if you do the same.”

“But I don’t have an enemy,” Wendla said.

“Not everyone needs to know that,” Ilse said, snapping one of her old bracelets around Wendla’s bare wrist before leaning in for a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter (hernst) will be out on october 15th


	3. Hernst

Ernst thought he'd figured it out. He liked Hänschen. A lot. If his theory was correct, Hänschen was his soulmate. How Bobby would become his enemy was still to be seen, and Ernst was more than a little scared. Bobby could be awful if he didn't like someone, and if Ernst was right, Bobby wouldn't like him. He smiled as Hänschen looked at him across their math classroom and rolled his eyes. Hänschen raised his eyebrows, smiled, and turned back to the front of the room. Ernst dragged his pencil away from the tiny sketch of Hänschen in the corner of his math notes to write down the boxed formula before it was washed off the board.   
  


The party at Hänschen's house was loud and, Ernst somehow decided, the perfect time to tell Hänschen about his feelings. He was weaving his way through the crowd, a still full cup of beer in his hand. "Hey!" he shouted at Ilse and Wendla, "Have you seen Hänschen?"

"He was talking to Melchior," Wendla shouted back, “Are you going to talk to him about the thing?”

“What thing?”

“Please,” Ilse said, rolling her eyes. “We all know you and Hänschen are soulmates. Are you going to finally do something about it?”

Ernst flushed and stuttered. “I… uh… I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow.”  
"Good luck," Ilse called as he turned away to find Melchior. Ernst saw him standing near the bottom of the stairs. 

"Melchior, have you seen Hänschen?" 

"Yeah," Melchior responded, red and looking a little flustered.  "He was heading upstairs."

Ernst sighed and went up the stairs, peeking in empty rooms until he reached Hänschen's. The door was closed, so Ernst opened it. 

_ Oh _ , he thought,  _ this is how Bobby becomes my enemy.  _

Bobby had pinned Hänschen to his mattress. Both boys were shirtless and Bobby's fingers were fiddling with Hänschen's belt. Both looked around at the sound of the door opening, Bobby grinning almost maniacally and Hänschen going from blissful to mortified in seconds. "Ernst," Hänschen said through his ragged breaths, and he sounded embarrassed and sorry, two things Ernst never associated with Hänschen. He didn't wait around to hear any of his explanations or modifiers, but chose to bolt out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the house. He was half a block away from Hänschen's house before he stopped running. Taking in deep breaths, Ernst felt like he was going to throw up. Ernst knew Hänschen liked to hook up with people. But it hurt this time. This time, he had been about to tell him. And Hänschen had been hooking up with their other best friend. It could've been Ernst. But it wasn't. 

Ernst cried the rest of his walk home. Maybe Hänschen was his enemy after all.    
  


Hänschen had no idea how to handle the situation. As soon as Ernst left, Bobby whispered, "You were right, we should've locked the door." When Bobby leaned back in, Hänschen pushed him off. "What? Don't tell me you're not into this anymore." As if to test Hänschen, Bobby rubbed his palm over Hänschen's zipper. He couldn't pretend that his dick wasn't still interested in what was happening, but his heart sure wasn't. 

"I don't want to do this anymore."

"Because of Ernst? He's just some kid."

"He's not just some kid," Hänschen said indignantly, redoing his belt and searching for his shirt, "He's our best friend. And I think we hurt him. And regardless, I don't want to do this anymore."

Bobby let out an exasperated sigh and snatched his shirt off the ground. "Fine. I'll go find Melchior. Or maybe Thea. She likes boys, yeah?"

"Don't touch my friends or my sister," Hänschen growled. He looked scathingly at the boy who used to be his second best friend in the world. "Get the fuck out of my house."

Bobby huffed and left and Hänschen collapsed on his mattress. It had all just started as an innocent hookup. It may not have been with the person he really wanted to hook up with, but it was with someone attractive and warm and willing. He hadn't wanted Ernst to find out, which now seemed impossible in any universe. Bobby would've told him. None of the others had hurt Ernst though, and there were quite a few others. He believed in soulmates like anyone else, sure, but fun was fun and he enjoyed hooking up with people. Plus, the boy he'd really wanted (the boy of his destiny) hadn't been ready. And then he seemed like he finally had been, and Hänschen had gone and fucked it all up.

 

Ernst didn't answer any of Hänschen's calls on Sunday and he wasn't in school Monday. Hänschen was in all his classes and lived two doors down from him, so he brought Ernst's homework to him. He hesitated before he knocked. If Ernst wanted to talk to him, he would've called back. But would good kid Ernst skip school just to avoid Hänschen and Bobby? Hänschen knocked. 

After a few seconds Ernst's mother answered. “Oh, hello Hänschen,” she said, smiling. Hänschen's heart sank more, because Ernst hadn't told anyone what was wrong, not even his mother, whom he loved more than any other teenager they knew. “What can I do for you?”

“I have Ernst’s work here.” He pulled the papers out of his bag. 

“Great, I'll take it up to him.” Mrs. Robel stuck her hands out to take the stack of papers, but Hänschen didn't hand them over. 

“Actually, can I take it up to him? One of the concepts we did in math today is a little complicated and I want to help him with it.”

“I'm sure he'll call if he needs help.”

Hänschen dropped his pretense and his characteristic smirk. He pleaded, “Mrs. Robel, I really messed up and I need to apologize to Ernst for what I did. Please, your son is my best friend and I can't lose him.”

Mrs. Robel smiled sadly at Hänschen. “Sure. Come in.”

Hänschen stepped inside and took in his surroundings, just in case Ernst never let him back in. The walls were covered in photos of Ernst and canvases of Ernst’s art. He wished he had a piece of art or a photo to remember Ernst by if he turned Hänschen away. Just because they were soulmates didn't mean they'd end up together. Plenty of people didn't end up with their soulmates. People died before they met their soulmates, or they met them in passing and never got to know them. Hänschen was lucky enough to have been best friends with his soulmate. 

Hänschen took his time going up the stairs to Ernst’s room and knocked very gently on the door. He heard a sniffle and a muffled, “Come in.”

Ernst was lying in the middle of his bed, curled up under all of his blankets, surrounded by tissues. He stuck his head out and said, “What do you want mo– You’re not my mom.”

Hänschen stifled a laugh and said, “I’m aware.” Ernst’s head disappeared into his blanket cocoon. “I have your homework Ernst.”

Ernst’s voice was muffled through the blankets. “Leave it on my desk and get out.”

Hänschen sat down on Ernst’s bed. “Ernst, come on. We have to talk about this.”

“Talk about what?” Ernst said, feigning ignorance.

“What happened in my room at the party this weekend.”

“Whatever you and Bobby did in your room is not something I want to talk about.”

“I meant when you walked in.”

Ernst laughed, a cold laugh Hänschen had never heard before. “I hope I didn’t stop you two.”

“Ernst, please listen to me. I really didn’t want you to see that–”

“Clearly.”

“Because I love you.”

There was silence, and Ernst laughed that same cold laugh. “Stop bullshitting me Hänschen.” Hänschen’s heart broke.

“Ernst, I–”

“I thought I loved you. I thought you were my soulmate. But then you did that… and I don’t know. It hurt more than before.”

Hänschen smiled in spite of himself. “I am your soulmate Ernst. Look.” He uncovered his wrist and stuck it out to where he assumed Ernst’s head was. Ernst’s head peeked out again, and he looked at Hänschen’s wrist, then, for the first time, he looked at Hänschen.

“How do I know I’m not your enemy?”

Hänschen returned Ernst’s cold laugh. “I’m pretty sure my dad’s not my soulmate.”

Ernst sat up, emerging slightly from his blankets. “Hänsi…”

“Nah, it’s okay. You knew about my dad. You just didn’t know he was bad enough to get onto my wrist.”

Ernst looked at Hänschen's extended wrist, still in disbelief as he read his own name. “Me? And you? That’s… crazy.”

“You didn’t seem to think it was so crazy Friday night.”

“And then I walked in on you and Bobby, and now it seems impossible.”

Hänschen took his hands. “You’ve forgiven me for so many things, I feel terrible asking Ernst, but can you forgive me one more time?”

Ernst, still curled up under his covers, looked at Hänschen. His eyes were so big and red and Hänschen was hit with the sudden realization that Ernst had been crying. “I don’t know, Hänschen. How can I? How can I trust you, Hänsi? I love you, and I’ve loved you for so long that when I think about it, it just feels impossible.” He sighed. “I have to process. I know we’re soulmates, so we can work it out, but I can’t talk to you right now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Hänschen stood up, kissed Ernst on the forehead and said, “Yeah. See you tomorrow.” He smiled at Ernst before he left.

 

At school the next day, Hänschen was standing at his locker, tapping his foot as he scanned the hallway for Ernst. Bobby walked past, arm around one of the sophomores on the basketball team. “Regretting your decision already, Rilow?”

“Piss off, Bobby.”

Bobby rolled his eyes and walked away. Hänschen lit up when he saw Ernst turn the corner. He stood still, heart racing, as the small boy walked down the hallway. 

“Hi.”

“Hi, Hänschen,” Ernst opened his locker and put his books away, “So I spent last night thinking. And I think I made a decision.”

“And?”

Ernst turned around and grabbed Hänschen by his sweater, pulling him into a kiss. Hänschen inhaled sharply, kissing Ernst back firmly. Ernst pulled back, resting his forehead against Hänschen’s, “I think I’ve wanted to do that for three years now.”

“So, will you be my soulmate, Ernst Robel?”

Ernst kissed Hänschen gently. “Yes. I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter four November 12th


	4. Melchritz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it's short lol

“Do you ever think maybe we’re just destined to be sad?” Melchior looked up at the sky, head resting in the grass.

Moritz laughed. “I think you’re just really high.”

Melchior turned over, looking at Moritz. “I’m not kidding. Like… Wendla and Ilse and Ernst and Hänschen have already found their soulmates.  _ Hänschen! _ The man doesn’t even need a soulmate. He could just as happily fuck his way through life. Easily, too.” He slammed his hand against the ground and Moritz laughed. Melchior looked at him angrily before smiling. He flopped onto his back, smiling at the sky. He couldn’t be mad at Moritz. Not even when he was mad at everything else. 

“Who says soulmates have to determine your happiness?”

“I’m eighteen in three days, Moritz. I want to figure out which he is. Don’t you ever worry that you won’t figure out who it is until it’s too late?”

Moritz shook his head. “I’ve always known who mine is. Well, since I was ten, I mean.”

“How’d you figure it out?” Melchior turned over, suddenly intrigued. 

“One’s my dad,” Moritz said curtly. He absently picked at the scars on his left forearm until Melchior slapped his hand away. 

“So why don’t you talk to the other person?”

Moritz shrugged, and turned over. “I guess I’m worried that he’s  _ my _ soulmate but I’m not  _ his _ soulmate.”

Melchior nodded. “Have you ever heard of someone having their own name?”

Moritz shook his head slightly. “How can you be your own worst enemy? Or your own soulmate?”

Melchior sighed. “I don’t know, Moritz. I don’t know.”

 

“Class dismissed. Mr. Gabor, please come see me.”

Melchior sighed and made his way to the front of the room as his classmates left. Moritz mouthed, “Good luck,” before Ilse pulled him out of the room.

“Mr. Gabor,” Mr. Franklin said as Melchior looked at him, “Your essay was well structured, well worded, and thoroughly persuasive.” Melchior nodded, smirking slightly. As much as he denied having an over-inflated ego to Hänschen, it never felt bad to be complimented. “However, it was  _ not _ from the point of view I assigned to you. Do you remember the point of view I assigned to you?”

“Yes, sir. You assigned me to write about how abstinence only education benefits communities. But I couldn’t write that, sir, it’s not–”

“I gave you this essay topic as a challenge. Writing views that aren’t your own educates you about the ‘other side.’” He handed Melchior a paper with a red “INC” stamped across the top. “Rewrite it about the point of view you were assigned, or it’s a zero, Mr. Gabor.”

“Thank you, Mr. Franklin.” Melchior walked out of the classroom and turned the corner into a hallway.

“What happened?”

Melchior put his arm out and clutched his heart. “Fuck, Moritz. Don’t scare me like that.”

“Sorry, Melchi. What happened?”

“I have to rewrite the essay for Franklin because I didn’t use the stupid opinion he gave me. And I have detention for telling DeMarco to stop picking on Bobby’s sister when she started hyperventilating.” He slammed his hand into his locker. “Fuck! How do I always do this?”

“I don’t know,” Moritz said, “But you better get to detention, or DeMarco will give you double.”

 

melchi: why do I always do this?

mo: what’d you do this time?

melchi: just told frank to stop hitting on angelina when she was clearly very uncomfortable

mo: what happened

melchi: i got punched

melchi: in the face

mo: you’re an idiot

mo: how are you going to make money if you’re ugly melchior

melchi: i have to stop fucking myself over

 

“Nice eye, Gabor,” Hänschen said as he walked into the hallway, pulling Ernst behind him, “Meet the wrong end of another jock’s temper?”

“Piss off, Hänschen. I was only doing the right thing.” He texted Moritz again, but didn’t really expect a response. Moritz was always late, but Melchior wouldn’t have traded him for the world.

“Doing the right thing makes sense when it benefits you, like when it lands you in bed with someone.” Ernst punched Hänschen playfully. “So who’d you hit?”

“Fucking Bello was hitting on Angelina when she was clearly very uncomfortable.”

“So you got a black eye and didn’t score with Angelina?”

“Fuck off, Hänschen.”

Hänschen rolled his eyes. “I swear to god, Melchior, you’re your own worst enemy.”

Melchior looked at Moritz. “You think?” Hänschen nodded, and Melchior moved forward and grabbed Moritz’s face.

“What are you doing?” Moritz said through squished cheeks.

“Being happy,” Melchior said, before he kissed Moritz. Moritz pulled back.

“Are you sure?”

Melchior pulled up his sleeve to reveal “Moritz Stiefel.” Moritz rolled up his and exposed the neatly printed “Melchior Gabor.” They intertwined their fingers and lowered their hands. 

“I guess we can save each other from ourselves.”

Moritz smiled. “We’re destined to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter (Marthea) coming December 20th

**Author's Note:**

> Contact me on [tumblr](http://hopingforaword.tumblr.com) with prompts/ideas/comments. Thanks for reading!  
> 


End file.
